Sony VCTSB1 Shoulder Mount Accessory VCTSB1 B&H Photo Video

Just ordered one of these from B&H. This would replace the current tripod plate adaptor I have, plus provide a means tom pull the camera back against my shoulder for stability. I find the X180 twitches and vibrates (SteadyShot issue) if held in the air without any form of bracing. I used to slide the current adaptor back so that the rear portion poked out to be used in the same fashion as this Sony accessory, but this one does it one better. Also, this Sony model seems to have 2 1/4"-20 threaded screws for both hole on my camera. My off brand version has one and an alignment pin that still spins a bit if forced.

Oh yeah, I paid $325 USED for it, $540 is a bit high for me!!!

Paul

My new toy arrived today, it's better than expected. It's right around 1lb (.5kg) and made of plastic and tin. It attaches to standard VCT14 tripod plate, and has 2 1/4"-20 screws for non spinning attachment to a proper little XDCAM. I don't have my X180 back from Sony service yet, but I attached it to my little tiny X70, and not only does it still balance in the center, it provides enough support for standard Steadyshot to be as smooth as Active Steadyshot. The pad can be bent down on the chest, or left poking out and allowed to rest on top of your shoulder like a PMW300. Although it is plastic, and very light, it has the appearance of matt painted Sony metal gear, and looks like it would not break before your camera did.

That other newer Sony chest thing, the one that folds, looks horrible. No V mount capability, and takes forever to deploy, and also seems to break in the hinge area. Very cumbersome compared to this sweet unit. I already had an aluminum VCT14 plate on my X180, so this adds the shoulder support to that, and the plastic construction keeps the weight the same. Win win. :-)

Paul

UPDATE

Got my X180 back from Sony, and the VCTSB1 is now on my "WTF" list. tTe thing is utterly useless as a tripod moutning solution. When placed on a VCT14 tripod plate, the entire camera will wobble around, as if mounted on jello or rubber. The rear slot that accepts the rear plate nut is not flat enough, and the camera can be tilted right and left to a huge degree. Also, the entire rear assembly warps like rubber, it's so bad that simply turning the focus or touching the camera will cause the camera to rotate axially.

To top things off, the used one I got from B&H had a faulty chest rest slide lock, so when i pulled the camera against my shoulder, the slide pushed back into the device. Utterly useless. If the chest brace slide worked, it would be a great shoulder brace for $200, but then there would be no need for all the extra size and bulk dedicated to the unuable VCT platye system.

Paul